Method and apparatus for sealing containers



Dec. 3, 1963 R. F. ANDERSON EI'AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEALINGCONTAINERS 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 11. 1960 Dec. 3, 1963 R. F.ANDERSON EI'AL 3,112,537

ammoo AND APPARATUS FOR SEALING CONTAINERS Filed April 11. 1960 6 Sheets'Sheet 2 R. F. ANDERSON ETAL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEALING CONTAINERSFiled April 11. 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 s ,0....1.....:..................., m ml M a A f, 2 o I O 7. C d. w m Z 0 AI 1 v I 1 M m m m m 4 6 -2 o o o e 7 7 o .n B V 2 A O O x e M 3 7 o o 81 a A M/ u w Q u. n I l Z O M o M W 7 7 2 I 8 .3 6 R H w M o u I 7G0: 8W O n m n 2 m r m l n w m A D Lilli!-iilii-i---liillllilili.i1"

Dec. 3, 1963 R. F. ANDERSON ETAL ammo]; AND APPARATUS FOR SEALINGCONTAINERS 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 11. 1960 llllllllfi l Dec. 3,1963 R. F. ANDERSON ETAL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEALING CONTAINERS 6Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 11, 1960 United States Patent T I h H.Anderson, 332 Csvin Park Blvd, and Ernst A. enzeyer, oi Rockford, Ill;said Kremeyer asnor to Anderson Apr. ii, 196%, Ear. No. 21,291

23 Claims. (Cl. 53-39) This invention relates to an improved method andappanatus for closing and sealing the mouth of a container.

The general object of this invention is to heat seal a thin sheet ofmaterial to the mouth of a container to close and seal the same.

Another object of this invention is to apply the thin sheet or" heatscalable material to the mouth of a container in such a manner as toprovide a tight and smooth cover for the container.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved arrangementfor handling the heat scalable cover material wherein mouth spanningdisks are only partially severed from a strip of heat scalable materialto enable advancing of the disks with the strip to a heat sealingstation and supporting of the disks by the strip during the sealingoperation, and in which the disks are separated from the strip afterthey have been applied to the containers.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improvedarrangement for handling and disposing of the waste strip material afterthe mouth spanning disks have been removed therefrom.

A more particular object of this invention is to provide a heat sealingapparatus including a sealing head, a device below the head forsupporting a sheet of material, and an apparatus for supporting acontainer below the head together with an improved means for effectingmovement of the head and the container into engagement with oppositesides of the sheet of wrapping material to heat seal the same thereto.

These, together with various ancillary objects and advantages of thisinvention will be more readily appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description when takenin connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the sealing machine, with partsof the housing broken away to illustr te detai s of construction;

PEG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the plane of FEGURE l;

. 4 i a rear view of the sealing machine;

5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the plane 55 of FIGURE 1;

6 is a vertical sectional view through the sealing G. 7 is a fragmentaryfront view illustrating the cup sition below the sealing head;

E68. 8, 9 and 10 are fragmentary views shown partia y in section andillustrating the position of the head and container during diiierentphases of the heat sealing cycle;

FEGS. 11 and 12 are fragmentary vertical sectional views illustrating amodified form of cup elevating apparatus and showing the same indifierent moved positions;

P16. 13 is a fragmentary front view of a sealing apparatus having thecup elevating device of FIGS. 11 and 12, and with parts of the housingbroken away and shown in section to illustrate details of construction;

14 illustrates a portion of the strip of heat sealable cover materialhaving the cover disks partially sevcred therefrom; and

15 is a wiring diagram illustrating the controls for the sealingapparatus.

The present invention relates to an improved arrangement for sealingcontainers designated generally by the letter C after they have beenfilled by a filling apparatus (not shown). The containers are arrangedto be closed by a thin sheet or film of heat scalable material which isheat sealed thereto. In accordance with the present invention, the sheetof cover material is made of heat sealable plastic film in strip formdesignated by the letter S in FIG. 14, and the mouth spanning disks Mare partially cut along interrupted shear lines 0 from the strip so thatthe mouth spanning disks are connected by integral ties with the stripand can be advanced by the strip to the sealin station and supported bythe strip during the sealing operation. Locating holes h are preferablyprovided in the strip in fixed spaced relation to the mouth spanningdislrs M to aid in positioning the disks at the sealing station. In theembodiment illustrated, the strips S are prepunched and wound into rollsR which are mounted on the sealing apparatus and fed thereby to thesealing head.

The heat sealing apparatus in general includes a heat sealing head ill;a device 11 for supporting a sheet of material below the head, feedmechanism 12 for advancing the sheet material to the support 11; a cupelevating mechanism 13 for selectively elevating a cup or container to aposition at the underside of the sheet or" material, a conveyormechanism generally indicated by the numeral 14 for advancing thecontainers to the sealing station, and for moving the containers awayfrom the sealing station after the sealing operation. fie drivemechanism operates the head it) and the cup elevating apparatus 13 intimed relation with the advance of the material S and the containers, tomove the head and the container into engagement with relatively oppositesides of the sheet and heat seal the same thereto.

The several instrumentalities are supported in a housing including amain support wall 16, a front panel 17 disposed f rwardly of the lowerportion of the wall 16, and spaced side walls 18. A :forward supportshelf 19 extends forwardly from the wall 16 and overlies the front panel17, and a rear support shelf 21 extends rearwardly from the wall 16.

The apparatus 11 for supporting the sheet of material below the head it}comprises a lower clamp plate 23 which is attached to a pair of spacedforwardly-projecting arms 24 and is spaced therebelow by spacers 25. Thearms 24 are rigidly secured, as by welding, to the front of the supportwall 16 at relatively opposite sides of the head The plate 23 has acentral opening 26 therein which is dimensioned slightly larger than themouth of the container C and is recessed as indicated at 27 (FIGS. 8l0=)at the underside thereof to provide clearance for the cup elevatingapparatus 13. An upper clamp plate 23 is mounted for movement toward andaway from the lower plate 23 on guide rods 29 and is yieldably urgedaway from the lower plate by springs 31. The upper plate also has acentral opening 32 therein which is dimensioned to receive the lower endof the sealing head it? and is preferably beveled =as best shown inFIGS. 6 and 8-10 to facilitate guiding of the head into the opening. Anannular resilient ring 33 is aiiixed to the underside of the movableplate 28 and projects therebelow to resiliently clamp the sheet ofmaterial S to the lower plate, when the plates 28 and 23 are moved intoengagement with each other. Tapered locating fingers 34 (FIG. 6) areattached to the movable plate 28 and extend therebelow to project intothe holes h in the strip of sealing material to properly locate thelatter with respect to the openings in the clamp plates. Stripper barsas are mounted on each of the forwardly extending arms 24 for verticalsliding movement relative thereto, and, as shown, are attached to thearms by fasteners 37 which project into upwardly extending slots 38 inthe bars. The stripper bars project downwardly to adjacent the level ofthe stationary plate 23 and draw the strip S of Wrapping material offthe locating pins 24, when the movable plate is elevated. The movableplate 23 is operated in a manner described hereinafter in timed relationwith the movement of the head and the container C to clamp the sheet ofmaterial S against the lower plate 23 prior to engagement of the cup andhead with the strip of material.

The roll R of sealing material is mounted on a stub shaft 42 carried bythe wall 16. The roll is rotatably disposed on the stub shaft 42 and aclutch 43 having an adjustable pressure applying device 44 is providedfor retarding rotation of the roll relative to the shaft. The strip ofmaterial is advanced past the head 1% by spaced feed rolls 46 and 47which are mounted for rotation by shafts 48 and 49 on the support plate16. The feed rolls 46 and 47 have a plurality of circumferentiallyspaced pairs of prongs 51 extending outwardly therefrom and adapted toextend into the holes h in the strip of material S to positively advancethe same past the sealing head It). An idler roll 52 is mounted by astub shaft 53 above the feed roll 46 land the strip is entrained overthe idler roll and around the feed roll as shown in FIGURE 1 to provideextended arcuate contact between the feed roll .6 and the strip. Atensioning roll 57 is mounted for vertical swinging movement on an arm58, and which arm is conveniently pivotally supported on the stub shaft42.. The tension of the clutch 43 is adjusted so that, when the feedrolls -46 and 47 are idle, the weight of the tensioning roll 57 and thearm 58 will move the same downwardly and unwind a section from the rollR of sealing material. When the feed rolls are thereafter indexed, theinertia of the roll 41 inhibits rapid unwinding from the roll and thetension roll 57 then moves upwardly to feed the unwound section ofmaterial to the machine. The tension roll 57 also serves to maintain atension on the strip S to aid in forcing the feed pins 51 through theholes h in the strip.

After the strip S passes the feeding head, the mouth spanm'ng portions Mhave been removed from the strip leaving only an open framework, whichis somewhat difficult to feed and dispose of. The waste strip after itleaves the feed roll 47 passes between a drive roll 61 and an idler roll62. The idler roll is mounted on an arm 63 which is pivoted to thesupport wall 16 by a pin 64 and the idler roll is yieldably urged intoengagement with the drive roll by a spring 65. The drive roll 61 ismounted on a shaft 66 and is driven by a sprocket 67 (see FIG. 5). Thestrip, after it leaves the drive roll 61, passes through a funnel shapedguide 69 which is mounted by a bracket 71 on the support wall 16. Theguide laterally folds and compacts the strip into a loose rope-shapedconfiguration which is passed over a grooved idler wheel 73. The idlerwheel is supported on a pin 74 carried by a bracket 7 5. The bracket 75is mounted for vertical swing ing movement on a pin 76 attached to thesupport wall 16, and is yieldably urged upwardly by the spring 65 intoengagement with a drive brush 77. This brush is attached to a shaft 78which is rotatably supported in the support wall 16 and has a drivesprocket 79 at its outer end. A stationary stripper 81 extends into thegrooved idler wheel '77 and is attached by a bracket 82 to the frontwall of the housing. The stripper plate is provided to prevent therope-like waste strip from winding around the idler wheel.

The strip feed mechanism is intermittently operated to advance the stripof material past the feeding head by a motor 85 which is connectedthrough a belt 813* to a Reeves type adjustable pulley 83 on a gearreducer 86. The gear reducer has an output shaft 87 which is supportedin spaced bearing plates 88 and 89 and rotates continuously while themotor is energized. The drive roller 91 of a Geneva movement is mountedby an arm 96* on the shaft and engages a Geneva cross 92 which is keyedto the shaft 49 between the bearing plates 88 and S9. The Genevamovement will drive the shaft 49 through a preselected angie, such asone-quarter turn, each time the shaft 87 completes one revolution. Theshaft 49' is thusintermittently driven during a portion of eachrevolution of the shaft 87, and this intermittent motion is transmitteddirectly to the feed roll 47 and, through sprocket 93 on the shaft 4-9,chain 94 and sprocket 95 on the shaft 48, to the other feed roll 46. Theintermittent rotation of the shaft 459 is also transmitted through asprocket 93 on the shaft 49, chain 99 and sprocket 67 to the shaft 66 todrive the roll 61 with the main feed rolls 46 and 47 and at a rate suchthat the peripheral speed of the roll 61 is substantially the same asthe peripheral speed of the feed rolls and 47. The shaft 66 is alsoconnected through sprocket 101 and chain 1&2 to the sprocket '7? on thebrush drive shaft 78. As will be noted from FIG. 4, the sprocket '79 hasa smaller diameter than the sprocket on the shaft 66 so as to drive thebrush at a higher rate and maintain a somewhat higher peripheral speedthan on the drum 61. Thus, when the motor 85 is energized, the Genevamovement turns the main feed rolls 46 and 47 through one-quarter turn toadvance the strip S a distance corresponding to the spacing betweenadjacent pilot holes h and the drum 61 and brush 77 are rotated in timerelation with the feed rolls to withdraw the waste strip from the feedrolls and to compact and discharge the strip.

The heat sealing head 19 is best shown in FIG. 6 and includes a body 111having a lower end corresponding in outline to the mouth end of thecontainer C to be sealed, and which lower end is recessed to provide adepending peripheral rib 112. The central area head is preferablyfurther recessed as indicated at 113 to prevent overheating of thecentral portion of the sheet of sealing material as it is applied to thecontainer. The head is herein heated by a plurality of heater cartridges113 located in annularly spaced bores in the head, and a thermostat 114is mounted in the head and connected to the heater elements to controlthe temperature of the head. The head has a cover 116 fastened theretoby studs 117 and is sup ported by a rod 118 which loosely extendsthrough an opening 119 in the cover. The lower end of the rod has a ball121 formed thereon which is clamped to the head adjacent the lower endthereof by a socket member 122 to support the head on the rod forlimited lateral tilting movement and thereby enable the head to shiftslightly and align itself with the mouth of the cup. The upper end ofthe rod 118 is attached to an arm 124 carried by a vertically movableslide 125. The slide 125 is mounted in guideways 126 located at the rearof the support plate 16. An operating rod 128 having a turnbuckle 13htherein is connected to the slide and to a cam mechanism to be describedhereinafter which elevates and lowers the head in timed relation withthe advance of the strip material. The movable clamp plate 23 is movedinto clamping engagement with the lower plate 23 in response to lowering of the head 10. For this purpose, a plurality of rods 131 areslidably mounted in the bores 132 in the head and are yieldably urged toa lower position by a spring 133. The rods are spaced from the movableclamp plate 28, when the head is in its raised position, and moveddownwardly with the head to engage the movable plate and move the sameinto clamping engagement with the lower plate 23.

A head elevating and lowering cam 136 is keyed to a cam shaft 137, whichcam shaft is rotatably journaled in a bearing 14% on the support plate16. The cam shaft 137' is driven through a sprocket 138, chain 139 andsprocket 141 to the output shaft 57 of the gear reducer. The sprockets138 and 141 are arranged so that the shaft 137 turns through onecomplete revolution each time the shaft 37 rotates through onerevolution. A bell crank 144 is pivotally mounted by a pin 145 on thesupport wall 16 and has a follower 143 thereon engageable with the cam136 to be moved thereby as the cam rotates. The follower is connectedthrough a link 146 to the lower end of the rod 128 to elevate and lowerthe head It), and a spring 147 engages the bell crank to yieldably urgethe roller 143 against the cam and to urge the head to a raisedposition.

The cups C are advanced to the sealing station and elevated intoengagement with the strip S, in timed rela tion with the operation ofthe head 18'. In the emboditnent of FlGS. 1-10, the container elevatingmechanism comprises a cup support block 161 which is normally positionedas shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 7 at the level of the container supportplatform 19. The block 161 is supported on a pair of rods 152, each ofwhich include telescopic upper and lower sections 163 and 164respectively. Springs 165 are disposed in the lower sections 164 andengage the upper sections 163 to yieldably urge the latter upwardly, anda pin 166 is attached to each of the upper sections and extends into aslot 167 in the lower section to lhnit relative movement between theupper and lower sections. As will be noted, the pins 166 normally engagethe upper ends of the slots 167 and the springs 165 are adapted to yieldand permit limited telescoping of the upper and lower sections when thedownward pressure on the block 151 exceeds a preselected value. Thelower sections 164 are slidably mounted in guide blocks 168 and N9attached to the rear face of the front panel 17. A container elevatingcam 171 is secured to the shaft 137 and a follower plate 172 rides onthe periphery of the cam and is connected through rods 1'73 and lowercrosshead 374 to the lower ends of the rods 162. The rods 173 are alsoconveniently guidably mounted in the guides 168 and 169 and raise andlower the cup support block 161 as the cam 171 rotates. An upper guide175 is attached to the front panel 17 and a support wall 16 and slidaolysupports the upper sections 163 of the telescoping rods 162.

The cups or containers C are of the type having an outwardly extendingperipheral rim R adjacent the upper end. in the embodiment shown, therims R are connected to the main body of the cup C by a thin frangiblesection to enable detachment of the rim from the cup, and the mouthopening portion M of the sheet material attached to the upper edge ofthe rim for removal therewith. The cup support block 161 is arranged toengage the rim and has a central opening 175 adapted to receive the bodyof the cup. As the block 161 moves upwardly, it passes around the cupand centers and locates the same and a peripheral rib 1? is provided onthe upper edge of the block around the central opening 175 to engage theunderside of the rim R on the cup. A stationary support plate 177 isdisposed Within the central opening of the block 161, when the latter isin its lowered position, to support the cup prior to elevating of thesame. The plate 177 is conveniently attached by a post 178 to the guideblock 175, as best shown in FIG. 3.

The conveyor mechanism 14 advances die cups to the elevating blocl: 161and also advances the sealed cups from the elevating block to adischarge station. For this purpose, a first endless type conveyerincluding a drive drum 1:32 (FTG. 2), an idler drum and a flexible belt18 is arranged to advance the cups in a direction perpendicular to thesupport wall 16, to a position alongside the cup elevating block 1.61.The drive drum 182 is mounted suitable bearings (not shown) on the frontwall 16 and the idler drum is mounted on spaced arms 185 which extendforwardly from the panel 17 and are conveniently pivotally connectedthereto by a pin 14% to enable the conveyer to be swung upwardly and outof the way when not in use. The drive drum 182 is driven through bevelgears 183 from a cross shaft 189 which extends between the support wall1:: and the front panel 17. The cross shaft has a sprocket 191 connectedthrough a chain 192 to a sprocket 193 on the cam shaft 1'37 and isdriven continuously while the motor is in operation. A second endlessconveyor incl ding a drive drum 1% (PEG. 1), idler drum 1% and belt 197is provided to advance the cups away from the sealing station. Thesecond endless conveyor extends parallel to the support wall to and thedrive drum is rotatably mounted between the support wall and the frontpanel 17 while the idler drum 1% is mounted on outwardly extendiru arms198. Preferably, the arms 1% are also mounted for vertical swingingmovement about a pin 2.99 to enable the end of the second conveyor to beswung upwardly and out of the way when not in use. The second ordischarge conveyor is driven in tirned relation with the inlet conveyor.As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a sprocket 2 32 is provided on the crossshaft 139 and is connected through a chain 2&3 to an i er sprocket 264.A second idler sprocket 265 is connected to the sprocket and through achain 236 to a drive sprocket 2t}? on the drive drum .195.

The conveyor mechanism also includes a transfer mechin for moving thecontainer from the inlet conveyor onto the elevating lock 1-51, and formoving the sealed containers from the elevating lock onto the dischargeconveyer. This transfer mechanism includes a bar 211 mounted for slidingmovement in guides 212 and 2'13 on the front of the support wall is. Thebar 21.1 moves in a di ection parallel to the support wall 16 and has adepending arrn 21 i rigid therewith and which extends downwardl to apoint below the cup support platform 19. lower end of the arm 2 i isconnected through a link to u. ever are, whici lever is pivotallymounted at .1? on the support wall to. A transfer cam 219 is atached tothe shaft 137 for rotation therewith and engages on the lever 216 tomove the lever and the r ill to the right as viewed in FIG. 1. A 2. 12is attached to the lever and to the front wall lever to a retractedposition. The transfer r Anoar has a nrst cup engaging finger naeextending forwardly therefrom and adapted to engage a cup on the inlet c1V3"6l to advance the same onto the cup elevating The finger 225 has astop portion 226 extendg to the left as viewed in FIG. 1 to projectcrosswise or" the inlet conveyor and prevent the advance 01" cupstherealong when the stop bar is out of its initial position shown inFIG. 1. A second feed finger 227 is attached to the feed bar 211 isarranged to move the containers from the elevating block 161 onto theoutlet conveye when the transfer mechanism is moved to the right asviewed in FIG. 1. As best shown in the drawings, guide rails areprovided along each or the several conveyors for 1g the containerstherealong. The sealing apparatus includes a heater control switchwhich, as shown FTG. 15, is connected in circuit the thermostat 114 andheaters 135 to control energrzation of the same. A main start switch 232is arranged to co ol energization of the drive motor $5. A pilot let o2.3) is connected in the circuit with the heaters to give a visualindication when the heaters are energized and, when the lot lamp goesout under the control of the thermostat lid in the head, it indicatesthat the head has reached proper operating temperatures so that the mainswitch 232 can be operated to start the motor 35. The motor operatescontinuously when the switch is closed to conti uously rotate the shaft137 and the cams thereon, and to inte'mittently rotate the shaft as andthe feed mechanism connected thereto. in order to assure that thesealing apparatus will return to its normal position shown in FIG. 1,when the switch 232 is cut off, a holding switch 235 (FTGS. 4 and 15)having an actuator 23% is provided at the rear of the panel to andarranged to provide a holding circuit for the motor, whenever the slideis out of its raised position. A finger 237 is connected to the slideand engages the actuator 236 to open the switch 2.35 when the slidereturns to its normal position on the inlet conveyer area 185' and isconnected in series with the motor 3 to stop the motor when the switchis open. As shown in FIG. 2, the switch 23% has a finger 2359a whichextends into the path of movement of the articles along the conveyorbelt 234. The switch 23% remains closed so long as one of the containersC is in proper position on the inlet conveyor and is automaticallyopened to stop the motor when the supply of containers is interrupted.

In the packaging of certain commodities it is desirable to provide aprotective atmosphere in the container. As shown in FIG. 1, theprotective atmosphere is introduced through a pipe 244) having an outletend 241 which closely underlies the stationary clamp plate 23 todischarge a protective gas into the container just prior to scaling ofthe same. The tlow of gas to the outlet 241 is under the control of avalve 243 (PEG. 4) having an operator 24 A cam 24-5 is attached to theshaft 87 and arranged to engagethe operator 244 to open the valve afterthe cup has been partially raised, as shown in FIG. 8, and before thecup has engaged the underside f the strip of sealing material S tointroduce the protective atmosphere into the container.

OPEBATIGN As previously noted, the motor during operation of themachine. However, for convenience in describing the operation, it willbe assumed that the parts are initially in the position shown in FIGS.l5 and 7 with the head it; in its raised position, the transfer fingers225 and 227 in their retracted position, and the cup elevating block15?. in its lowered position. During the initial pproximately 90 ofangular movement of the shaft 245, that is when the head operating earn1% moves from a position in which point a contacts the follower 14-3 toa position in which point b contacts the follower 143, there is nosignificant downward movement of the head The Geneva movement, however,drives the shaft &9 through one-quarter turn and indexes the feed rolls46 and 47, through one-quarter turn to advance the strip S of sealingmaterial a distance corresponding to the spacing between adjacent pilotholes h to position a new mouth spanning portion M below the head. Thedrive roll 61 operates to draw the waste strip over the idler roll 52and the brush 7'7 draws the compacted rope-like waste through the guide6? and discharges the same. As previously mentioned, the indexing of thestrip is quite rapid and the inertia of the roll of material inhibitsrotation thereof. The tension roll 57 then moves upwardly to allowfeeding of the material to the head, without tearing of the strip. Thetransfer cam 219 turns w th the sealer cam 13d and is shaped so as toadvance a succeeding container from the input conveyor belt 134- ontothe support plate 177 within the elevating block 161, as shown in FIG. 7when point b on the sealer cam reaches the roller. During this initialmovement, the elevating cam 171 produces no elevating movement of thecup elevating block 161.

As the shaft 437 continues to rotate, the scale-r cam '35 moves the headdownwardly; the transfer cam 219 omits the feed finger 225 and 227 toretract sufiicient 0 provide clearance for elevating the block 151, andthe levator can 1'71 begins raising of the block 161. PEG. 8 illustratesthe position of the parts when the point e on the sealer cam engages theroller 143. As will be noted, th head it has moved down a distancesufficient to press the upper clamp plate 25 against the lower clampplate 23, to grip the strip S of sealing material therebetween. Thehead, however, has not yet contacted the sealing strip S, and thecontainer C is below the strip. At about "s point, the cam arm 245 onthe gear reducer shaft 87 engages the valve operator 244 to open thevalve 243 and introduce a protective atmosphere into the top of thecontainer. As the shaft 1257 continues rotation, the sealer cam movesthe head 19 downwardly and the elevator 85 runs continuously cam 171raises the container C so that, when the sealer cam reaches the positionin which the point d engages the roller 143, the head and cup engagerelatively opposite sides of the strip S. As will be noted, the cup rimR projects slightly above the upper surface of the lower clamp plate 23so as to draw the mouth spanning portion M of the strip tight across themouth of the container. The depending rib on the sealer head seals theperiphery of the mouth spanning portion to the container and, as will benoted from P-EGS. 8-19, a slight clearance is provided between the upperclamp plate and the sealer head to prevent excessive heating of theclamp plate. As the shaft 137 continues rotation to advance point e onthe sealer cam to the follower roller 143, the sealer cam i336 pushesthe head it? downwardly and through the clamp plates 23 and 2.3 to severthe mouth spanning po tion lvi from the remainder of the strip, whilemaintaining the same firmly pressed against the rim R on the containeras shown in FIG. it The elevator cam 171 begins to lower the containerat a rate the same as or preferahly slightly lower than the rate ofdownward movement of the head to maintain the container firmly pressedagainst the head. The springs in the elevator head support rods 16.2yield to permit limited overt-revel of the elevator block. The transferearn 239 operates the transfer bar Ell to retract the fingers 225 and227, while the container is in its raised position, as is also shown inl0. Continued rotation of the shaft 137 brings the parts back to theposition shown in FIGS. 1-5.

it will thus be noted that the head i the elevator block ldl, and theclamp plates 23 and are operated in timed relation with each other tosequentially clamp the strip of material between the clamp plates, andthereafter move the head and cup into engagement with the opposite sidesof the strip of material. As previously noted, the cup preferably israised to a position slightly above the upper surface of the stationaryclamp plate 23 to tension the mouth spanning portion M of the strip andthe head is thereafter pressed downwardly through the strip while thelatter remains clamped, to sever the mouth spanning portion =from thestrip.

A sealing machine having a modified form of cup lifter and transfernechanism is illustrated in FIGS. ll-l3. The remainder of the machine isthe same as illustrated in FIGS. ll0 and only the modified port-ion ofthe machine is illustrated in FIGS. l1l3. The housing is the same as inthe preceding embodiment and like numerals followed by the subscript areused to designate corresponding parts. Thus, the housing includes thesupport wall 16, a front panel 17 and a platform 19'. The main cam shaft137' is rotatably supported in a bearing Mil on the support wall and isdriven in timed relation with the strip feed mechanism through asprocket 138'. A rod 12% is connected to the slide 'for raising andlowering the head. However, in the present embodiment, the rod isyieldably. urged to a lowered or retracted position by a spring Sillwhich is terminally attached as by a pin 35*2 to the rod and to abracket 3&3 on the shaft 137. The bracket 3% is mounted on the shaft ina manner to permit the latter to rotate relative thereto. The sealerearn 136' is attached to the shaft 137' at the rear of the support walland a follower 143 is attached directly to the lower end of the actuatorrod $.28 to ellect elevating of the rod and the head.

In this embodiment, a single endless conveyer including a drive drum 3%,an idler drum 3%7 and belt 3% is mounted for movement parallel to thefront support wall 16 past the sealing station. The conveyor is drivenin timed relation with the other instrumentalities from a drive sprocket311 on the cam shaft 137, which drive sproclret is connected through achain 312 to a sprocket 313 on the drive drum 3%. The cup elevatingapparatus 15 is located intermediate the ends of the conveyer belt 398.The elevating apparatus is mounted on a vertically extending rod 315which is attached at its upper and lower ends by brackets 31% and 317 tothe supporting wall 16. A slide block is mounted on the rod 315 and ascrew 319 extends into a vertical slot see (FIG. 13) in the rod to holdthe block against rotation and to limit downward movement or" the ame. Cosed levers 321 having lateral ears 322 interme to their ends arepivotally mounted by pins on the block for vertical movement therewith.The levers extend upwardly through suitable openin the sup ort platform19 and have opposed U- shaped jaws 3: on their upper ends adapted toextend around a cup to clamp the same therebetween. An actuator block 26is ably mounted on the rod below the block 313 and is connected throughlinks 327 to the lot or ends of the levers 321. As will be noted fromFlQ-S. 11 and 12, the linlts 3 27 diverge relative to other in all ra've positions of the device and are adapted to spi .1216. the lower endsof the levers when the actuator block 325 is moved upwardly relative tothe slide block 318 to thereby close the jaws as shown in FlG. A springis interposed between the blocks 31% 32-6 to yieidably urge same apart,and a sleeve extends upwardly from the actuator block and is ed toengage the underside of the slide lock 318 The slide wered position by a=33 which is terminally attached to the slide block and to ear 334 onthe lower bracket 317. An elevator cam lir non-rotatahly secured to thecam shaft 337' =nd engages a follower 335 attached to the actuatorblock. s will be noted, during the initial upward movement or" theactuator block 326, the linlzs 327' spread the lower o lever 321 andclose the jaws When the thereafter engages the slide hloclc t t thecontainer C therewith.

A pair of stop ear and (351". 13) are mounted on a rock shaft formovement into and out of the iath of ad cc of t e cups C on the conveyorbelt The rocl; 's conveniently supported on the bracket 326 a lever isattached to the rocl; shaft for selectively operating the stop fingers.The stop finger positioned to engage a cup on the conveyer belt 3G8andstop the same at the sealing station in substantial re stry wit thejaws 324. The other stop finger 3 32 is i red in advance oi' the sealingstation to stop the subsequent container before i. engages the clampingjaws.

The lever 34 i is connected through a link 346 to a cam operated lever347 which is pivotally attached by a a to the support wall A spring 349is terminally a shed to the support wall and to the lever 347 toyieldurge the stop zingers to t ir cup engaging position shown in PEG.11. A roller 351 is provided on the follower lever engages the peripheryof a transfer cam 352 on the cam shaft. As shown in FlG. 13, the cam 352is shaped so as to normally permit the lever to move the stop fin ers totheir en aged position and a lobe which moves the cam lever 347 downwardly for a short time while the jaws 32 are open,

to permit the cup at the sealing station to advance away from the jawsand to permit a succeeding conminer or cup to advance to the sealingstation.

The machine is shown in FIGS. 11 and 13 in a pos" on with the jawsclosed and the stop fingers 3-:2 disposed in the path of movement of thecontainers along the belt As the cam shaft 537 rotates in the directionindicated by the arrow in FIG. 13, the cam 171 permits the roller 335 tomove downwardly and thereby open the jaws as shown in FIG. 12. At theproper t'nne, the lobe 552:: on the stop cam engage the roller 351 andmoves the stop fingers to a retracted position for a time intervalsuhicient to permit the cups at the sealing station to advance awaytherefrom and to permit a succeeding cup to advance to the sealingstation. The fingers 3 52 are then moved back LO their cup engagingposition and, as

the earn 171' rotates, it raises the actuator block 325 to sequentiallyclose the jaws 324' and'elevate the container at the sealing station.When the point x on the elevator cam 172' engages the roller 335, thejaws are retracted a short distance to move the cup downwardly. Thesealer cam is shaped so as to p "halt the head retracting spring Bill tolower the head during the initial retraction of the cup so that the headmoves downwardly through the strip of sealing material to sever themouth spanning portion therefrom, in the same manner as is illustratedin FIG. ll). The elevator cam thereafter further retracts the cup backto its initial position and the sealer cam 136 raises the head to itsnormal raised position.

The sealing operation performed by the apparatus shown in M88. 11-13 isthus the same as that performed by the apparatus of FIGS. 1-10. However,the spaced clamp jaws 32 i enable the use of a single continuousconveyer, as contrasted to the separate conveyor sections and transfermechanism for moving the cups between the different sections of theconveyor employed in the previous embodii rent. This simplifies thetransfer of the containers through the machine and enables somewhat morerapid operation.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for app ying a sheet of heat sealahle material to themouth of a container comprising a heat sealing head, means for advancinga sheet of heat scalable material past the see g head, means forselectively clamping the sheet or" material around a central mouthspanning area, means for moving the head, the sheet material and thecontainer relative to each other to bring the head and the mouth or" thecontainer into engagement with opposite sides of the mouth spanningportion or" the sheet whereby to heat seal the same thereto, and meansfor thereafter moving the head and container in unison relative to theclamping means with the head and container in engagement with oppositesides of the sheet to separate the mouth spanning portion from thesheet.

2. An apparatus for app.ying a sheet of heat scalable material to themouth of a container comprising a heat sealing head, means for advancinga sheet of heat scalable material past the sealing head, means forselectively clamping the sheet of material around a central mouthspanning area, means for moving the head, the sheet material and thecontainer relative to each other to bring the head and e mouth of thecontainer into engagement with op osite sides of the mouth spanningportion of the sheet whereby to heat seal the same thereto, and meansfor moving the head through said sheet after said mouth spanning portionhas been sealed to the container to separate the mouth spanning portionfrom the sheet.

3. An apparatus for applying a sheet of heat sealable material to themouth of a container comprising, a heat sealing head, a stationary clamphaving an opening aligned with s id head and dimensioned to receive themouth of a container, a movable clamp mounted for movement toward andaway from said stationary clamp and having an opening aligned with saidhead for receiving said head, means for advancing a sheet or" heatsealable material between said plates, means support ng a container formovement into and out or said opening in said stationary clamp, meansfor moving said head and said container supporting means toward eachother to advance the hea and a container on said supporting means intoengagement with opposite sides of the sheet and for simultaneously movimsaid movable clamp toward said stationary clamp to clamp the sheettherebetween, said moving means being operative after said head and themouth of the container have engaged the sheet to thereafter move thehead through the sheet to sever the mouth spanning portion from thesheet.-

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said head has means extendingtherebelow and resiliently engageable with said movable clamp for movingthe latter toward the stationary clamp to clamp the sheet therebetweenprior to said head engaging said sheet.

5. An apparatus for applying a sheet of heat scalable material to themouth of a container comprising, horizontally spaced feed rolls forsupporting a strip of heat scalable material there-between and foradvancing the strip, a heat sealing head positioned above the portion ofsad strip between the rolls, a container elevating apparatus disposedbelow the portion of the strip between the rolls, means for moving saidhead and said container elevating apparatus towand and away from eachother to bring the head and the mouth of a container into engagementwith opposite sides of the strip to heat sea the strip to the container,means for intermittently advancing said rolls in timed relation with themovement of said head and container elevating apparatus to position asucceeding mouth spanning portion or" the strip below the head, andmeans for disposing of the Waste strip after it has been advanced pastthe sealing head, said disposing means including guide means adapted toreceive the strip and having a width substantially less than the stripto laterally compact the strip as it passes therethrough, and means atthe outlet end of the guide means for drawing the strip therethrough.

6. The combination of claim wherein said means for drawing the stripthrough the guide means includes a rotary brush engageable with thecompacted strip to advance same, and means for rotating said brush at aspeed in excess of the speed of rotation of said feed rolls.

7. The combination of claim 5 wherein said means for drawing the stripthrough said guide means comprises a grooved idler wheel and a rotarybrush engageable with said idler wheel to advance the compacted strip,and means for rotating said brush at a speed higher than the speed ofsaid feed rolls.

8. An apparatus for applying a sheet of heat scalable material to themouth of a cup comprising a heat sealing head, means for intermittentlyadvancins a strip of heat scalable material along a path below saidhead, an elongated conveyer means disposed below said head for advancinga cup horizontally, spaced clamping jaws overlying said conveyer belowsaid head normally spaced apart to permit a cup on said conveyer meansto pass therethrough, means for sequentially closing said jaws to clampa cup therebetween and for thereafter elevating said jaws to elevate acontainer into position below the underside of said sheet and intoengagement with the sealing head to heat seal the sheet to thecontainer.

9. An apparatus for applying a sheet of heat scalable material to themouth of a cup comprising a heat sealing head, means for intermittentlyadvancing a strip of heat scalable material along a path below saidhead, an elongated conveyer means disposed below said head for advancinga cup horizontally below said head, a slide block mounted for verticalsliding movement below said conveyer, arms pivotally attached to saidblock and extending upwardly along opposite sides of said conveyer,opposed jaws on said arms adapted to clamp a cup therebetween, meansengageable with said arms to sequentially pivot said arms relative tosaid slide block to close the jaws and to thereafter raise the slideblocl; to elevate a container into position below the sheet of materialand into engagement with said sealing head to heat seal the sheet to thecontainer.

10. An apparatus for applying a sheet of heat scalable material to themouth of a container comprising, a heat sealing head, means foradvancing a strip of heat scalable mate-rial past said heat sealinghead, clamping means engageable with opposite sides of the sheet ofmaterial for selectively clamping the sheet of material around a centralmouth spanning portion, a container elevating head, means for heatingsaid heat sealing head, and drive means for moving the heat sealinghead, the clamp means and the container elevating head relative to eachother to bring the clamp means into engagement with opposite sides ofthe strip around the mounth spanning portion and to bring the heatsealing head and the mounth of the container into engagement withopposite sides of the mouth spanning portion while it remains attachedto the strip to heat seal the mouth spanning portion to the container,said drive means including means for thereafter moving the heat sealinghead and the container elevating head in unison relative to the clampingmeans with the head sealing head and container in engagement withopposite sides of the mouth spanning portion to separate the mouthspanning portion from the strip.

11. An apparatus for applying a sheet of heat scalable material to themouth of a container comprising, a cover applying head, means foradvancing a strip of h at sealable material past said cover applyinghead, clamping means engageable with opposite sides of the sheet ofmaterial around a central mouth spanning portion, a container elevatinghead, means for heating one of said heads, and drive means for movingthe cover applying head, the clamp means and the container elevatinghead relative to each other to bring clamp means into engagement withopposite sides of the strip around the mouth spanning portion and tobring the cover applying head and the mouth of the container intoengagement with opposite sides of the mouth spanning portion while itremains attached to the strip to heat seal the mouth spanning portion tothe container, said drive means including means for thereafter movingthe cover applying head and the container elevating head in unisonrelative to the clamping means with the cover applying head andcontainer in engagement with opposite sides of the mouth spanningportion to separate the mouth spanning portion from the strip, saiddrive means including a resilient over-travel member for driving one ofsaid heads for limiting pressure applied to the container and formaintaining the mouth of the container and the cover applying head inyieldable engagement with opposite sides of the mouth spanning portionof the sheet while the heads move in unison relative to the clampingmeans.

12. An apparatus for applying a sheet of heat scalable material to themouth of a container comprising, a cover applying head, means foradvancing a strip of heat sealable material past said cover applyinghead, clamping mens engageable with opposite sides of the sheet ofmaterial around a central mouth spanning portion, a container elevatinghead, means for heating one of said heads, and drive means for movingthe cover applying head, the clamp means and the container elevatinghead relative to each other to bring the clamp means into engagementwith opposite sides of the strip around the mouth spanning portion andto bring the cover applying head and the mouth of the container intoengagement with opposite sides of the mouth spanning portion while itremains attached to the strip to heat seal the mouth spanning portion tothe container, said drive means including means for thereafter movingthe cover applying head ad the container elevating head in unisonrelative to the clamping means with the cover applying head andcontainer in engagement with opposite sides of the mouth spanningportion to separate the mouth spanning portion from the strip, saiddrive including means swivelly supporting said cover applying head forlimited angular movement to enable self alignment of the cover applyinghead with the mouth or" the container.

13. An apparatus for applying and heat sealing a sheet or heat scalablematerial to the mouth of a container comprising, a heat sealing headhaving a peripheral heat sealing rim at the underside thereof, means forheating the heat sealing rim to a temperature sufiicient to efiect heatsealing of the material to a container, means for advancing a sheet ofheat scalable material crosswise of the head to a position therebelow,means for advancing an open mouthed container to a position below saidhead, spaced upper and lo" er clamp plates disposed at opposite sides ofsaid sheet for clamping the sheet therebetween 13 and each having acentral mouth spanning opening therein dimensioned to closely surroundsaid heat sealing rim, i .eans for moving said head, said clamp platesand said container relative to each other to clamp the sheet between theclamp plates and bring both the lower end of the head and the mouth ofthe container to the level of the sheet and into engagement withopposite sides of the mouth spanning portion of the sheet within theclamp plates to thereby heat seal the mouth spanning portion of thesheet to the container while the mouth spanning portion remains attachedto the sheet and the sheet is clamped between the clamp plates, andmeans for thereafter moving the head and container in unison relative tothe clamp plates wi h the head and container in engagement with oppositesides of the sheet to separate the mouth spanning portion from thesheet.

14. An apparatus for applying and heat sealing a sheet of thdn plasticmaterial to the mouth of a cup having a marginal rim around the mouthcomprising, a heat sealing head having a peripheral heat sealing rim atthe underside thereof, means for heating the heat sealing rim to atemperature sufficient to er'iect heat sealing of the material to thecup, spaced upper and lower clamp plates having a central mouth spanningopening therein aligned with said head and dimensioned to closelysurround said heat sealing rim, means for advancing a strip of heatsealable plastic material between said clamp plates, said clamp platesbeing normally spaced below said heat sealing rim to maintain the stripout of contact therewith, cup support means engageable with the rim nthe cup for supporting the cup, drive means for moving said head, saidclamp plates and said cup supporting means relative to each other toclamp the strip between the clamp plates and to bring both the rim onthe head and the rim on the cup into engagement with opposite sides ofthe mouth spanning portion of the strip within the clamp plates tothereby heat seal the men spanning portion of the strip to the cup whilethe mouth spanning portion remains attached to the strip, said drivemeans including means for thereafter moving the heat sealing head andthe container elevating head in unison relative to the clamp plates withthe rim on the heat sealin head and the rim on the container in enagement with opposite sides of the mouth spanning portion to separatethe mouth spanning portion from the strip.

15. An apparatus for applying and heat sealing a sheet of plasticmaterial to the mouth of a cup having a marginal rim around the mouthcomprising, a heat sealing head having a peripheral heat sealing rirn atthe underside thereof, means for heating the heat sealing rim to atemperature sur'ficient to eficct heat sealing of the material to thecup, spaced upper and lower clamp plates having a central mouth spanningopening therein aligned with said head and dimensioned to closelysurround said heat ealing rim, means for arh/ancin a strip of heatscalable plastic material between said clamp plates, said clamp platesbeing normally spaced below said heat sealing rim to maintain the stripout of contact therewith, cup support means engageable with the rim onthe cup for supporting the cup, drive means for moving said clamp platesinto engagement with opposite sides of the sheet and for moving said cupsupporting means upwardly to bring the rim on the cup into engagementwith the underside of the mouth spanning portion at a level above thelevel of the strip engaged by the clamp plates sufficient to draw themouth spanning portion taut over the mouth of the ner, but insufficientto separate the mouth spanning i from the strip, said drive meansincluding means for moving the heat sealing head downwardly intoengagement with th upper side of the mouth spanning portion to heat sealthe mouth spanning portion to the container while the mouth spanningportion remains attached to the strip, said drive means including meansfor thereafter effecting relative movement between the cup supportingmeans and the clamp plates in a direction axially i l of the cup toseparate the mouth spanning portion from the strip.

16. An apparatus for applying and heat sealing a sheet of thin plasticmaterial to the mouth of a cup having a marginal rim around the mouthcomprising, a heat sealing head having a peripheral heat sealing rim atthe underside th reof, means for heating the heat sealing rim to atemperature sufficient to effect heat sealing'of the material to thecup, spaced upper lower clamp plates having a central mouth spanning oening therein aligned with said head and dimensioned to closely surroundsaid heat sealing rim, means for advancing a strip of heat scalableplastic material between said clamp plates, said clamp plates beingnormally spaced below said heat sealing rim to maintain the strip out ofcontact therewith, cup support means engageable with the rim on the cupfor supporting the cup, drive means for moving said clamp plates intoengagement with opposite sides of the sheet and for moving said cupsupporting means upwardly to bring the rim on the cup into engagementwith the underside of the mouth spanning portion at a level above thelevel or" the strip engaged by the clamp plates sufiicient to draw themouth spanning portion taut over the mouth of the container, butinsufhcient to separate the mouth spanning portion from the strip, saiddrive means including means for moving the heat sealing head downwardlyinto engagement wi h the upper side of the mouth portion to heat sealthe mouth spanning portion to the container \vl lo the mo th spanningportion remains attached to the strip, said drive means being arrangedto thereafter move said heat sealing head downwardly through said clampplates to separate the mouth spanning portion from the strip.

17. The method of sealing the mouth of a container comprising, partiallyshearing a mouth spanning portion from a strip of heat scalable materialby interrupted cut lines around the periphery of the mouth spanningportion, gripping the strip around the periphery of the mouth spanningportion to support the same, moving the mouth of a container intoengagement with one side of the mouth spanning portion at a levellaterally offset from the plane of the strip a distance sufiicient todraw the mouth spann ng portion taut across the mouth of the containerwithout separating the portion from the strip, moving a heated sealinghead into engagement with the other side or" the mouth spanning portionto heat seal the mouth spanning portion to the container while itremains attached to the strip, and thereafter moving the head andcontainer in unison relative to the strip to sever the mouth spanningportion from the strip while maintaining the strip gripped around theperiphery of the portion.

18. In a packaging machine, means for advancing containers toward andaway from a station said packaging machine and for intermittentlyelevating acontainer at said station, said means comprising an elongatedconveyor for advancing containers horizontally past said station, an armsupport member mounted for vertical movement below said conveyor, armspivotally attached to said arm support member extending upwardly alongopposite sides of the conveyor, opposed jaws on said arms shaped toengage and support a container therebetween, drive means engageable withsaid arms below said conveyor operable to seq nt a ly pivot the armsrelative to the arm support member to close the jaws; the arm supportmember to elevate the container; lower the arm support member to ret ithe container to the conveyor, and thereafter pivot t e arms relative tothe support member to open the in 1's and release he container for contnued advance by the conveyor, said drive means including an actuatormember mounted for limited vertical lost motion relative to the armsupport member, means operatively connecting the actuator member to thearms to close and open jaws respectively in response to upward anddownward movement of the actuator member relative to the arm supportmember, means operatively connected to the actuator member for raisingand lowerign the actuator ember, and lost motion means connecting theactuator member to the arm support member to raise and lower the armsupport member when the jaws are closed to a position to engage andsupport a container.

l9. The combination of claim 18 wherein said lost motion means includesspring means engaging the actuator member and said arm support memberyieldably urging the actuator member downwardly relative to the armsupport member to thereby yieldably urge the jaws toward an openposition.

20. in a packaging machine, means for advancing container toward andaway from a station in said packaging machine and for intermittentlyelevating a container at said station, said means comprising anelongated conveyor for advancing containers horizontally past saidstation, an arm support member mounted for vertical movement below 5 idconveyor, arms pivotally attached to said arm support member andextending upwardly along opposite sides of the conveyor, opposed jaws onsaid arms shaped to engage and support a container therebetween, drivemeans engageable with said arms below said conveyor operable tosequentially pivot the arms relative to the arm support member to closethe jaws; raise the arm support member to elevate the container; lowerthe arm support member to return the container to the conveyor, andthereafter pivot the arms relative to the support member to open thejaws and release the container for continued advance by the conveyor,said drive means including an actuator member mounted for limitedvertical lost motion relative to the arm support member, meansoperatively connecting the actuator member to the arms to close and openthe jaws respectively in response to upward and downward movement of theactuator member relative to the arm support member, means operativelyconnected to the actuator member for raising and lowering the actuatormember, and lost motion means connecting the actuator member to the armsupport member to raise and lower the arm support member when the jawsare closed to a position to engage and support a container, said lostmotion means including a rigid element on one of said members engageablewith the other of said members after a preselected upward movement ofthe actuator member relative to the arms support member for elevatingthe arm support member with the actuator member during subsequentraising of the latter, and spring means engaging said actuator memberand said arm support member yieldably urging the actuator memberdownwardly relative to the arm support member to thereby yieldably urgethe jaws toward an open position.

21. in a packaging machine, means for advancing containers toward andaway from a station in said packaging machine and for intermittentlyelevating a container at said station, said means comprising anelongated conveyor for advancing containers hor zontally past saidstation, an arm support member mounted for vertical movement below saidconveyor, arms pivotally attached to said arm support member andextending upwardly along opposite sides of the conveyor, opposed jaws onsaid arms shaped to engage and support a container therebetween, drivemeans engageable with said arms below said conveyor operable tosequentially pivot the arms relative the arm :support member to closethe jaws; raise the arm support nember to elevate the container; lowerthe arm support :rnember to return the container to the conveyor, andthere- :after pivot the arms relative to the support member to :open thejaws and release the container for continued ad- 'vance by the conveyor,said drive means including an actuator member mounted for limitedvertical lost motion relative to the arm support member, meansoperatively connecting the actuator member to the arms to close and openthe jaws respectively in response to upward and downward movement of theactuator member relative to the arm support member, means operativelyconnected to the actuator member for raising and lowering the actuatormember, and lost motion means connecting the actumcmber to the armsupport member to raise and lower the arm support member when the jawsare closed to a position to engage and support a container, said lostmotion means including a rigid element on one of said members engageablewith the other of said members after a preselected upward movement ofthe actuator member relative to the arm support member for elevating thearm support member with the actuator member during subsequent raising ofthe latter, spring means engaging said actuator member and said armsupport member yieldably urging the actuator member downwardly relativeto the arm support member to thereby yieldably urge the jaws toward anopen position, and a second spring means engaging said arm supportmember for yieldably urging the arm support member downwardly.

22. in a packaging machine, means for advancing containers toward andaway from a station in said packaging machine and for intermittentlyelevating a container at e. d station, said means comprising anelongated conveyor for advancing containers horizontally past saidstation, an arm support member mounted for vertical movement below saidconveyor, arms pivotally attached to said arm support member andextending upwardly along opposite sides of the conveyor, opposed jaws onsaid arms shaped to engage and support a container therebetween, drivemeans engageable with said arms below said conveyor operable tosequentially pivot the arms relative to the arm support member to closethe jaws; raise the arm support member to elevate the container; lowerthe arm support member to return the container to the conveyor, andthereafter pivot the arms relative to the support member to open thejaws and release the container for continued advance by the conveyor,said drive means including an actuator member mounted for limitedvertical lost motion relative to the arm support member, link meanspivotally attached to the actuator member and to the arms for closingand opening the jaws respectively in response to upward and downwardmovement of the actuator member relative to the arm support member,means opera tively connected to the actuator member for raising andlowering the actuator member, and lost motion means connecting theactuator member to the arm support member to raise and lower the armsupport member with the actuator member when the jaws are closed to aposition to engage and support a container.

23. in a packaging machine, means for advancing containers toward andaway from a station and for intermittently elevating containers at saidstation, said means comprising an elongated conveyor for advancingcontainers past said station, spaced camping members dis posedintermediate the ends of said conveyor and having laterally movable jawportions extending above said conveyor at opposite sides thereof, meansbelow said conveyor supporting said clamping members for movement of thejaw portions thereof laterally of the conveyor toward and away from eachother and for limited vertical movement of the clamping members, saidlaterally movable jaw portions being shaped to engage and support acontainer therebetween wd constituting the sole means for supporting thecontainer during elevation of the latter, drive means normallysupporting said clamping members in a lowered position with the jawportions spaced apart to permit a container on the conveyor to passbetween the jaw portions, said drive means including means operable tosequentially move the clamping members in one direction to close the jawportions into engagement with opposite sides of a container on theconveyor; elevate the clamping members to elevate the container; lowerthe clamping members to return the container to the conveyor; andthereafter move the clamping members opposite said one direction to openthe jaw portions and release the container and thereby permit theconveyor to move the container away from the station.

(References on following page) UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,627,792 MalocsayMay 10, 1927 1,652,595 Weeks et a1 Dec. 13, 1927 5 2,003,682 Enock June4, 1935 18 Young Dec. 27, 1938 Page Mar. 4, 1958 Ryan Feb. 24, 1959Brock July 28, 1959 McCoy Aug. 25, 1959

17. THE METHOD OF SEALING THE MOUTH OF A CONTAINER COMPRISING, PARTIALLYSHEARING A MOUTH SPANNING PORTION FROM A STRIP OF HEAT SEALABLE MATERIALBY INTERRUPTED CUT LINES AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE MOUTH SPANNINGPORTION, GRIPPING THE STRIP AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE MOUTH SPANNINGPORTION TO SUPPORT THE SAME, MOVING THE MOUTH OF A CONTAINER INTOENGAGEMENT WITH ONE SIDE OF THE MOUTH SPANNING PORTION AT A LEVELLATERALLY OFFSET FROM THE PLANE OF THE STRIP A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TODRAW THE MOUTH SPANNING PORTION TAUT ACROSS THE MOUTH OF THE CONTAINERWITHOUT SEPARATING THE PORTION FROM THE STRIP, MOVING A HEATED SEALINGHEAD INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOUTH SPANNING PORTIONTO HEAT SEAL THE MOUTH SPANNING PORTION TO THE CONTAINER WHILE ITREMAINS ATTACHED TO THE STRIP, AND THEREAFTER MOVING THE HEAD ANDCONTAINER IN UNISON RELATIVE TO THE STRIP TO SEVER THE MOUTH SPANNINGPORTION FROM THE STRIP WHILE MAINTAINING THE STRIP GRIPPED AROUND THEPERIPHERY OF THE PORTION.